A Mother’s Resilient Faith in Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan single mother Amila (pseudonym) and her daughters understand Jesus’ words that “you will be hated because of me.” (Matthew 10:22). Because they have chosen to follow Jesus, the small family is despised and mistreated by Amila’s family.
Amila’s mother and sister are devout Buddhists and her brother is a Buddhist monk in eastern Sri Lanka. In their eyes, Amila and her daughters betrayed the family when they left Buddhism.
Our field partners had to meet with Amila in a public park to hear her story because it would be too dangerous to come to the house that she still lives in with her mother and sister.
When Amila became a Christian, her husband left her, forcing her to care for their daughters alone. She had to find a job, and needed her family to care for her children while she was at work. For that reason, she moved back in with her mother and sister – which is a hostile situation.
Amila’s mother and siblings are relentless in their efforts to pressure her and her daughters. Every day, they ask, “Why did you convert? Why have you left your previous faith?”
Amila chooses patience and in prayer gives the situation to God: “I do not reply to them,” she says. “If I do, it will become an argument.”
Despite the adversity, Amila is determined to follow Jesus and raise her daughters to know Him. She can look back and see God’s hand on her life.
Back in 2012, Amila became sick, unable to get out of bed. After a Christian friend prayed for her and she recovered, Amila made a bold decision to leave Buddhism: “That day, I decided my whole life belongs to God, I will never leave Him,” she says.
Though she was excited to share her story, the reception was cold. Her family members were not at all happy about her conversion. Despite their objections, Amina attended church and made sure her daughters went to Sunday school.
Today, her situation remains difficult. As local partners spoke with Amila, she shared how she would often go to work from church services, leaving her daughters in the care of their grandmother. Recently, she learned just how far her family would go to oppose her faith:
“When I got home after work on a Sunday, my daughters told me they were hungry. When I asked them why, they said, ‘Grandma did not give us food because we went to church today.’” Since then, Amila ‘s daughters stay with their pastor’s family after church.
Despite the difficulties, Amila’s children are growing in their faith under their mother’s care and involvement in church. “I am happy with my daughters,” she says. “Even though they get mistreated, they have learned to pray to God. They love their grandma even though she hates them.”
Unfortunately, Amila’s situation isn’t unique. Throughout the world, female converts face the same risks of losing their husbands and being alienated and mistreated by their families. Their decision to follow Jesus often means they’ll be single parents, forced to find a job and take care of their family, sometimes in contexts where being a single woman can be a heavy cultural burden. In a culture where family ties are vital, such persecution can be devastating.
Yet faithful women like Amila continue to trust God with their lives and endure the hostility from their families and communities. They continue to pray for provision and are determined to see their children know Jesus like they do. In many ways, they are mother, father, provider, teacher and disciple maker.
Pray
Pray today for Amila and other women like her.
- Pray that God provides physical and spiritual sustenance amidst her struggles.
- Amila is hoping to find a place to move to, away from her mother and sisters. Pray that God guides these decisions.
- Pray that even though Amila’s daughters do not feel loved by their grandmother, they would feel the love of their mother and their Heavenly Father.
